Interpketer card feed



Nov. 4, 1952 A. B. CROWELL INTERPRETER CARD FEED 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Aug. 13, 1947 INVENTOR ARNOLD B. CROWELL J AZ ATTO NEY A. B. CROWELL INTERPRETER CARD FEED Nov. 4, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Au 15, 1947 INVENTOR ARNOLD B. CROWELL A ORNE Nov. 4, 1952 A. B. CROWELL INTERPRETER CARD FEED Original Filed Aug. 13, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ARNOLD B. CROWELL BYJ A ORNEY Nov. 4, 1952 A. B. CROWELL 2,615,364

INTERPRETER CARD FEED Original Filed Aug. 15, 1947 55heets-Sheet 4 FIG- 6- INVENTOR ARNOLD B. CROWELL ATTO NEY Nov. 4, 1952 A. B. cRowELL INTERPRETER CARD FEED Original Filed Aug. 13, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5' zh WW m Q20 20 wzOEmOm UZ .FZ

WMMHWO omnewm INVENTOR ARNOLD B.

CROWELL Patented Nov. 4, 1952 INTERPRETER CARD FEED Arnold B. Crowell, Endicott, N. Y., assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application August 13, 1947, Serial No. 768,373. Divided and this application August 12, 1949, Serial No. 109,996

8 Claims.

This invention relates to an interpreter and its principal object is to provide a machine of this type with improved line selecting means.

The present application is a division of my pending application, Serial No. 768,373, filed August 13, 1947, and is related to another divisional application, Serial No. 109,995.

The type of machine with which the invention is concerned is one which feeds record cards and reads the data recorded in them by sensible indicia, such as punched holes, and prints an interpretation of the data back on the card. Card designs vary and in some cases it is desirable to print an interpretation on one line and in some cases on another, or it may be necessary to print a plurality of interpretations of data from different fields on diiferent lines of the card.

Accordingly, it is a particular object of the invention to provide an interpreter having great flexibility in respect to the line position on which Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one part of the printing drum operating mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another part of the printing drum operating mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a portionof the card feed unit, showing the printing drum end.

Fig. 7 is a timing chart of the printing drum.

Fig. 8 is a portion of a tabulatingcard illustrating the punching and interpretation.

Fig. 1 of the drawing shows the general arrangement of an interpreter embodying the principles of the invention. It comprises a card feed unit A at the right or front end of the ma chine and a printing unit B at the left or rear end. The functions of the card feed unit are to feed cards one at a time to a control station, where their control designations are analyzed; then to a reading station, where the data stored in them is read; then to a printing station, where the data is interpreted on the cards by the printing unit; and then to a stacker. of the printing unit is to store the data read from the cards and to print the data on the cards as they are presented in succession at the printing station.

The cards for which the illustrative machine The function is designed are the standard column International tabulating cards, one of which is partially shown in Fig. 8. These cards are divided into 80 vertical columns (see the small column numbers at the bottom of the card); in which data are stored by punching holes in one or more of 12 horizontal rows or index point positions. These index point positions are identified, be ginning with the top, as R, X, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, '7, 8, and 9. The card shown in Fig. 8 hasstored in it, by perforations in columns I to 22, John Smith Elm St. Fig. 8 shows the card after this information stored by means of punched holes has been interpreted by the machine disclosed in the drawing. In this case the line of interpretation is the line just below the uppermost, or R, index point position. As will be seen later, the interpretation may be placed in any index point position except the 9? position, or on a line just above any one of the index point positions. The character spacing of the interpretation is somewhat wider than the column spacing of the punched record.

The card feed unit A stack of cards In is placed in a hoppe II at the right end of the machine shown in Fig. 1, face down and with the 9 row forward, that is to the left in Fig. 1. Fig. 2 shows the card feed mechanism in vertical section as seen from the opposite side from Fig. 1. At the bottom of the card hopper is a picker mechanism, which comprises a reciprocating member 12 provided with a knife I3 projecting above the top surface of the member [2 for slightly less than the thickness of one card. The picker mechanism is reciprocated by rocker arms M fixed to a rock shaft I5, which has fixed at its remote end in Fig. 2 a rocking lever l6 urged in one direction by a spring 11 and movedcounter-clockwise once each machine cycle by a vertically travelling .pitman l8 articulated to its left end. The pitm-an has a cam follower roller 19 bearing upon a cam 20 fixed to the end of the main card feed shaft 2|. This shaft is driven by a bevel gear 22 meshing with a bevel gear 23 fixed to a gear 24 meshing with a gear 25. The latter gear is rotatably mounted on a shaft 26 and has fixed to its hub a clutch arm 27 on the end of which is pivoted a clutch dog 28. An outwardly directed tail 29 of the dog 28 and a tip of the clutch arm 27 directly behind it are normally latched by a hook 39 controlled by the card feed clutch magnet CFCM. When this magnet is energized the hook releases the clutch dog and the clutch arm and the dog is pulled by a spring 31 into engagement with a notched disc 32 fixed to a gear 33. The gear 33 is driven through gears 34, 35, and 36, by a gear 31 on a shaft38. The shaft 38 has keyed to it a pulley 39 driven through a belt 39' by a motor, not shown in Fig. 1. The clutch arm 21 will make one revolution and will then be latched up, by the hook if the card feed clutch magnet has not been energized again. One revolution of the clutch arm causes one cycle of operation of the card feed unit.

Once in each cycle the picker knife I3 moves back to take hold of the rear edge of the lowest card in the stack and is then moved forward by the spring I! to feed the card out of the bottom of the hopper into a pair of feed rolls 40, 4i. There are three other sets oi feed rolls in the card feed unit: 42, 43; 44, 45; 46, 41. The feed rolls 40, M and 44, 45 are purely conveying rolls, while the lower one of each pair of feed rolls 42, 43 and 46, 41 is called a, contact roll and has an electrical function in addition to its conveying function. The feed rolls feed the card between card guides 48. The contact rolls 43 and 41 have a metallic surface on which bear brushes and 5|, through which they are electrically connected with one side of the line. On the upper side of each of the contact rolls 43 and 41 bears a set of analyzing brushes 52 and 53. There are 80 brushes in each set, one for each column of the card, and they are mounted in electrical isolation on insulating bars 54 and 55. The brushes 53 are called reading brushes, because they read the data stored by the punched holes in the card and transmit it to the storage device of the printing'mechanism. The brushes 52 are called control brushes, because they are concerned with controlling the operations of the machine.

The lower feed rolls 4| and 45 are driven from the shaft ZI by pairs of bevel gears 56 and drive i the contact rolls 43 and 41 through gears 51.

The printing drum From the feed rolls 46, 41 the cards pass through the last card guides 48 to the printing drum 60. The printing drum comprises two independently operable platen members (SI and S2. The platen member 6| is shown in the position it assumes for holding the card at the printing station, opposite a row of type members 63, while the platen member 62 is shown in card receiving position. When the card held by platen member 6| has been printed upon, this platen member advances counterclockwise to the position in which platen 62 is shown in Fig. 2, leaving its card in a stacker 64 in passing. At the same time, the platen member 62 advances from the card receiving position to the printing station. In the next machine cycle a card held by platenmember 62 will be printed upon and then conveyed to the stacker 64, while the platen member BI will receive the following card from the feed rolls 46, 41. v

The two platen members are generally similar in construction, but have slight differences, due to the fact that one is nested inside the other. Fig. 4 shows the platen member 62 and its actuating mechanism alone, in card receiving position, while Fig. 5 shows the platen member SI and its actuating mechanism alone, in card printing position. Referring first to Fig. 4, the platen member comprises a cylindrical platen 65 which is supported by two side arms 61 and E8 on the shaft 55 (see also Fig. 6). The. hubs of these side arms are fixed to the shaft by set screws 69. At the front edge of the platen 66 is a card clamp comprising a shaft'lil and clamp fingers T2. The shaft T0 is rockably mounted in flanges I3 of the platen and can rock sufiiciently towithdraw the clamp fingers 12 from the platen surface to accept a card. Each one of the clamp fingers has associated with it a spring 14, one end of which is hooked over a pin I5 on the hub of the clamp finger, while the other is anchored on a shaft I6 which extends for the length of the platen member. These springs normally hold the card clamp shut. The shaft II! has fixed to it 9, lug 11 (Fig. 2) which coacts with a stationary cam 18. This cam 18 has a hump 19 which rocks the clamp open at the card receiving station and another hump which rocks it open as the card is delivered to the stacker. At all other times the clamp is closed. Two clips 8I serve as card stops when the platen member is in card receiving position. A lug 82 with a V-notch 83 coacts with a spring detent 84 to hold the platen member in card receiving position.

The shaft 65 has pinned to it a hub 85 (Fig. 6) with a single-notched clutch flange 86. Beside the flange 86 is a hub 81 revolvably mounted on the shaft 65 and held in place by a spacer 88. The hub 81 has a clutch arm 89 on which is pivotally mounted a clutch dog 98 cooperating with the clutch flange 86 and pressed thereagainst by a spring at. The hub also has a set of gear teeth 92 meshing with the teeth of a large sector 93 revolvably mounted on a shaft 54. The large sector is connected by a spring 95 hooked over its pin 96 to a pin 9! on a driving arm I55 rotatably mounted on shaft 94. The pin 97 extends through an opening It in sector 93. The large sector 93 also has a bearing stud I02 projecting through a slot I63 in driving arm I06, on which is revolvably mounted a cam I85. Against this cam bears a roller I06 mounted on a stud It! on the driving arm I08. The large sector 93 and the driving arm I05 normally have the relative position shown in Fig. 4, but by rotating the cam I05 the large sector can be made to move to the right in relation to the driving arm. The hub of the cam I65 has a set of gear teeth I08 meshing with teeth I09 of a small sector III) also revolvably mounted on shaft 94. The small sector has an arm I I5 secured to it by screws H6 and carrying a roller II? at its upper end which rests against a stop H8 at the particular time in the machine cycle illustrated in Fig. 4. The small sector is urged toward the right, in relation to the driving arm, by a spring II9 hooked over its pin I25 and a pin IZI on the driving arm I00. In order to move to the right the sector I I!) would have to rotate the gear I 08, because the supporting stud I02 of this gear is fixed to the large sector 93, which has a definite relation to the driving-arm I09 established by the spring 95 and cam I 65. The spring 95 is strong enough to prevent rotation of gear I08 by spring I I9. The driving arm Iilfi has revolvably mounted on it a roller !24 riding on a cam I25. An extension I26 of the driving arm we carries a roller I27 bearing upon a complementary cam I28. Both of these cams are pinned to a shaft I30. A gear I3I (Fig. 5) is also pinned at its hub to the shaft I30 and meshes with a gear I32 on the shaft I33 of the lower feed roll 45. The ratio of the gears I3I and I32, is such that'the cam shaft I30 turns one revolution in two machine cycles.

In operative relation to the roller I I? is a cam i 35 pinned to a shaft I36. This shaft has secured to it, a gear I31 (Fig. 3) meshing with a gear I38 fixed to a shaft I39. The shaft I39 has a hand knob Mil bearing graduations, which move in relation to an index mark I4I to indicate the line of the card on which the interpretation will be printed. The movement of the cam I35 is limited by an arm I42 on gear I31, in the path of which are two stops I43. The manner in which the printing line is determined by this mechanism will be described presently.

The alternate platen mechanism 5| differs from the one first described in a number of respects, which will now be pointed out, with reference to Figs. 2, 5, and 6. A cylindrical platen 06' has two supporting arms 61 and 68 by which it is mounted on the shaft 55, these arms lying outside of the arms 61 and 68 of the platen member 02 and being revolvably mounted on the shaft 65. The card clamp I, I2, 14', I, 11', is substantially identical to that of the platen mechanism 62, the operating lug 11' being controlled by the same stationary cam I8. The arm 51' has fixed to it a flange I45 on a tube I46 revolvably mounted on shaft 65, which extends out to a terminal single-notch clutch flange 86. Revolvably mounted on the shaft E5 beside the clutch flange 86' is a hub 81' having a clutch arm 05 pivotally supporting a spring operated clutch dog 90'. On the hub 81' is a gear 92' meshing with a large sector 93'. The operating mechanism for this platen member is the same as the one first described and is identified in the drawing by similar reference numerals with prime marks. The only difference is that the main driving cam I25 and complementary cam I28 are angularly displaced, in relation to the corresponding cams I25 and I28 by 180. The line adjusting cam I35 is mounted on shaft I38 at the same angle as cam I35.

The operation of the printing drum will now be described, by referring to the platen member 62 and its operating mechanism, which are shown in Fig. 4 at 321.75 machine time, and to the card feed timing chart, Fig. 7. The cam follower I24 is at the low part of the cam I25 at this time. The platen member stands in card receiving position and the card clamp is open. The lug I1 is just on the edge of the hump E9 of cam I8, so that the slightest forward movement of the platen member will cause it to drop off the stationary cam and clamp the bottom edge of the card. The platen member 62 is detented in card receiving position by detent spring 04 engaging a notch 83. The knob I40 is set to print on the lowest printing line, midway between the 8 and 9 index point positions.

When the cam I25 turns counterclockwise the driving arm I00 swings to the right. The roller I06 pushing against the cam l05 moves the large sector 93 to the right and rotates the platen member 62 in counterclockwise direction. The card clamp engages the card as soon as this movement begins and as the cam I25 turns to 72 of the machine cycle, the card is conveyed up to the printing station (see curve I50, Fig. 7), where it is held bottom edge up, with the lowest printing line in position opposite the line of type 63. The small sector H0 follows the movement of the driving arm I00 and large sector 03, the roller H1 striking the surface of cam I55 just at 72. During the next part of the machine cycle, until 308.56, there is no further movement of the platen member 02, while the cam follower is travelling on the concentric portion of the cam I25. The printing takes place during this time, the type being positioned upside down, because of the inverted position of the card. The operation so far described occupies almost one machine cycle.

Further rotation of the cam I25 swings the driving arm I00 and large sector 53 further to the right and drives the platen member 02 on in 6. counterclockwise direction from the printing station. The platen member passes through the highest point of its revolution at 334.63, stacks the card at 57 .27", and arrives at the card receiving station at 185.04, the follower I24 rolling over the highest point of cam I25 at this time. The platen member is latched up by the detent 84 and the dog idles back over the clutch disc '86, dropping into the notch of the disc again after completing a clockwise revolution.

Part of the motion of the platen member 62 after 308.56 is due to the action of the cam I05. As soon as the further motion of the large sector 93 begins the cam I05 begins to revolve clockwise, because the arm II5 is stopped by the line setting cam I35 and as the shaft of the gear I08 goes to the right the gear rolls on the small sector IIO, turning cam I05. This drives the shaft I02 of the cam I05 away from the center of roller I06 and has the eifect of making the large sector 93 move forward more rapidly than the driving arm I00. The accelerated movement of the large sector ends when the roller I05 moves onto the high concentric part of the cam I05; from then on the large sector and the driving arm move at the same rate. In the diagram, Fig. 7, the vertical distance represents circumferential travel of the platen member, the direction being reversed at 334.632 the highest point in the path of the platen member.

Adjusting the printing line If the cam I35 is adjusted to the position for printing above the R. row, the roller II'I comes into contact early in the rightward movement of the driving arm I00 and the accelerated movement of the large sector 93 begins before the card reaches the printing station, as shown by the curve I5I Thus the platen member advances a greater distance before the roller I24 comes onto the concentric portion of cam I25, which occurs at the time the roller I00 rides onto the concentric portion of cam I05. The card is held in position for printing on the line above the R row, during the dwell in cam I25.

It will be seen that the movement of the large sector is derived from the cams I25 and I05 and its total movement is the same in all cases. The only thing that changes is the timing of" the accelerated motion caused by the cam I05, which varies in dependence upon the position of the line adjusting cam I35.

The movement of the platen member 6| from the card receiving station begins at 321.75, one cycle later than the movement of the platen member 52 from the card receiving station and at the time the latter platen member is on its way from the printing station to the stacker. The movement of the platen member 0| is shown by the curves I50 and I5I. These curves start at a lower level than the curve I50, to represent the fact that the platen member 62 has advanced some distance out of the printing position before the platen member 5i leaves the card receiving station.

In its travel with the platen sector the card is guided by cylindrical guides I52 and I53, which are separated at the printing position to enable the type to print upon the card. Leaving the guide I53 the card passes outside of two narrow card guides I54 and I55 (Fig. 6) and behind a displaceable stacker plate I55, which rides upon rollers I51 in grooves I58 of a stacker chute I59. As a card strikes the bottom of the stacker chute it is stripped out of the platen, the card clamp aeiasee 7 l2 being released at this time by the engagement of the lug T1 with the knob 80 of the stationary cam t8. As the card stack builds up in the stacker the plate 156 travels up the stacker chute to accommodate the growth of the stack.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and. in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In acard interpreter, a reading station, a printing station, and card feed means to feed cards through said stations in sequence, including conveying means to convey individual cards from a position beyond said reading station to said printing station, said conveying means comprising aplaten and means to clamp a card thereto; means to move said platen, with a card clamped thereto, from the position in which it receives a card beyond said. reading station to a position in which it holds the card for printing; and means for varying the extent of said movement to select the line of the card presented to the printing station.

2. A card interpreter as described in claim 1, wherein the means for moving said platen comprises amain driving cam, a rockable driving arm member having a follower engaging said main driving cam, a variably movable member geared to said platen, means providing a driving connection between said driving arm member and said variably movable member, comprising a bearing element on one of said members and a rotary cam element on the other of said members engaging said bearing element, and means to impart variable angular movements to said cam element during the movement of said driving arm by said main driving cam.

3. A card interpreter as described in claim 2, wherein the means to impart variable angular movements to said cam element comprises a gear fixed to said cam element, a sector having teeth meshing with said gear, spring means connecting said sector to said driving arm member, and adjustable stop means t limit the movement of said sector with said driving arm member.

4. A card interpreter as described in claim 1, wherein the means for moving said platen comprises a main driving cam, a rockable driving arm. member having a follower engaging said main driving cam, a variably movable member geared to said platen, means providing a, driving connection between said driving arm member and said variably movable member, comprising a bearing element on one of said members and a rotary cam element on the other ofsaid. members engaging said bearing element; said main driving cam having a rise for moving said platen to the printing station, a dwell for holding said platen stationary at the printing station, and a further rise for moving said platen beyond the printing station; and means to impart variable angular movements to said cam element during the first rise of said cam, to impart a supplementary movement to said platen for line selection.

5. A card interpreter as described in claim 1, wherein the means for moving said platen comprises a main driving cam, a rockable driving arm member having a follower engaging said main driving cam, a variably movable member geared to said platen, means providing a driving connection between said driving arm mem ber and said variably movable member, comprising a bearing element on one of said members and a rotary cam element on the other of said members engaging said bearing element; said main driving cam having a rise for moving said platen to the printing station, a dwell for holding said platen stationary at the printing station, and a further rise for moving said platen beyond the printing station; and means to rotate said cam element, including means to varia-- bly distribute portions of said rotation, so that a variable portion occurs during the first rise of said main driving cam, for line selection, and the remainder during the second rise of said main driving cam.

6. In a card interpreter having a printing station, a plurality of nested platens comprising cylindrical segments mounted for independent orbital movements about the same axis, each having means to clamp a card thereto; driving means for each platen to advance the platen by intermittent movements first from a receiving station to said printing station and then forward to said receiving station again, the steps of movement of the different driving means being out of phase with each other, so that the platens are brought to the printing station one after another; and means for feeding cards to said platens at said receiving station.

7. In a card interpreter having a printing station and card feeding means to deliver cards to a receiving station, a platen movable from said receiving station to said printing station, means to clamp to said platen a card delivered thereto at said receiving station, a driving member having a constant stroke of movement, and connections between said driving member and said platen whereby the stroke of said driving mem- ARNOLD B. CROWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,056,042 Morgan Mar. 18, 1913 2,016,709 Eichenauer Oct. 8, 1935 2,019,869 Page Nov. 5, 1935 2,157,980 Daubmeyer May 9, 1939 2,201,924 Schmitt May 21, 1940 

